Times with a Tortuous Team of Trouble Makers
by juhninja
Summary: They were rude and honest. It was a sight to see one without the other. They were never without those big stupid grins on their faces. They always had some scheme in their heads just waiting to escape and wreak havoc. And God, were they persistent.
1. April 1

**Times with a Tenacious Team of Tortuous Trouble Makers**

**AKA Eight Days of the Everlasting, Ever-present, and Ever-Persistent Fred Weasley **

**

* * *

**

They could be the most obnoxious pair of people in the whole entire universe sometimes—or more accurately _most_ of the time—and that was definitely saying something. They were arrogant, boastful, outspoken, and extraordinarily loud. They always had something to say and they always said it. They were rude and honest. It was a sight to see one without the other. They were never without those big stupid grins on their faces. They always had some scheme in their heads just waiting to escape and wreak havoc.

And God, were they persistent.

* * *

**April 1****st**

**A Day of The Birth of Two Great Pranksters **

"Hermione!" The girl being beckoned to turned only to immediately regret the action. It was _those two_ again. She rolled her eyes and continued walking. They were getting on her last nerve! Why couldn't they just leave her alone?

Unfortunately, the long legged, identical—but not quite as identical when one really thought about it—boys passed her by and stopped in front of her. They smirked and stared down at her. Fed up was definitely an understatement. "May I help you?" Why couldn't they just leave her alone?!

Apparently it was possible for their smiles to grow wider. "Do you realize what today is?" George questioned. Honestly, she spent so many days and nights at the Burrow and around the Weasleys, it was damn near impossible to **not** be able to tell the two apart. Hermione knew what the two were playing at. They were definitely up to something.

"I already gave you your birthday present, George," Hermione huffed, glaring at the ginger headed, smiling boy. She may have had to crane her neck to impossible lengths, but considering the way those two acted, they would always be children at heart. "Boy" was the perfect word to describe either one of the twins. "Immature, impudent, impatient imbeciles" was also a perfect description.

That is, if one didn't know them.

Fred bent over to 'stoop down to her level' as they referred to it. Even if it was getting old, she was still offended. She crossed her arms, rolled her eyes, and glared all at the same time. George proceeded to step behind her as she had a silent staring contest with his brother. He copied her stance with his right hip jutting out, left knee slightly bent, right leg straight, brow furrowed and pout in place. Fred broke eye contact with Hermione to look at his brother and he let out a booming laugh. "What?" Hermione asked, still glaring up at Fred. It was true. The highly intelligent witch was much denser than Mrs. Weasley's Christmas fruit cake. _That_ was saying something. "What's so funny?"

Behind her, George copied Hermione's actions.

Well, sort of.

_Mocked_ was a better way of interpreting his behavior.

George wagged his finger as if reprimanding his brother, crossed his eyes, switching his crossed arms to akimbo, and mouthed nonsense toward Fred. He was aiming to rival an angry McGonagall after she found the complimentary fireworks in her desk, courtesy of Fred and George.

Fred openly laughed at his brother, which made Hermione pivot on her heel toward the show. George, in turn, did a complete three-sixty and crossed his arms to his chest once again. His face was completely serious; his smile from seconds previous had disappeared like Arthur Weasley on cleaning day at the Burrow. He stared Hermione down.

It was then that Fred stuck his index fingers in his mouth, pulled at the corners, and stuck his tongue out in the open. He shook his head and wiggled his tongue. George glanced slightly at Fred but tried his hardest not to let a smile slip.

Hermione, however, was not having fun with these two Weasley boys. Any other pair of Weasleys she could deal with at one time, but the twins could be such pains! "You _boys,_" she emphasized, "are wasting my time. Do you have anything of value to say to me? I'm quite the busy woman, you realize."

"Of course you are, Hermione!" Fred interjected, but not before he released his digits from his mouth and wiping the saliva on his trousers. Normal people didn't smile as often as those two. Then again, there was nothing normal about Fred and George. "Nice present, by the way. Books; how predictable of you."

Hermione rolled her eyes once again. How many times had she done that? She tended to lose count considering all of the stupid things she had to endure from all of the boys in her life. Honestly, she needed girl friends. "There were other parts to the gifts, you freak," she gritted through her teeth. Now she was offended by their sarcasm. "And if you didn't notice, I gave you both completely different gifts. If you don't appreciate them, then give them back. You really don't have to be rude about it." Fred and George lost their smiles for a moment and stood still. She took this moment to escape and stomped away.

She had to admit, she was insulted. _Predictable,_ they had said. It sliced through her chest and stabbed her heart.

Well, that was over exaggerating.

But she _was_ hurt.

"Ah ah ah," a voice reprimanded from behind her. "Not so fast you paranoid and easily offended witch."

Hermione turned around and assumed her angry position. She jutted her right hip out, bent her left leg, and crossed her arm over her chest. Of course, Fred and George expected her action and mimicked her, down to her rolling eyes.

"We loved your gifts, don't get us wrong," George started, half smiling.

Fred finished for George with a slightly evil grin, "But you know what we wanted."

Hermione's eyes widened slightly. Yes, they asked for unconventional gifts. Yes, Hermione had considered giving them said gifts. And yes, Hermione was quite a loony bird for considering it but there was no way in--a very hot place that Hermione was going to give it to them. So she turned her back on them and stomped away once more. She seemed to be doing that a lot.

"Happy birthday, boys!" she called over her shoulder as she walked away. She half expected them to follow her as they had done moments before.

This time around, though, neither redhead chose to be on her heels. _Thank God,_ she thought. Hermione listened closely and heard their retreating footsteps.

She sped off to the library, worried that the pair would pop out of nowhere and pester her once again. Although, usually, the twins would never be caught dead in the library, she was better safe than sorry. Those boys were far from predictable, but the library was always a safe getaway for her.

As she walked to the room of books, her comfort zone, Hermione wondered if she really should give them the birthday present they asked for. It was definitely tempting… But if she did complete the task, how would they act around each other after the fact? She supposed that awkward was the accurate was of putting things, at least on her side. The twins, however, would definitely become more cocky and arrogant than they already were. Feeding their ego was **not** what she wanted to do at all. So she refused to give them what they wanted.

But that bushy-haired, brown eyed super genius had to wonder…

What if?

* * *

**There's a green button there just beckoning to be clicked. Humor me.**

**Give me a reason to continue. :)**


	2. April 2

**April 2nd**

**A Day of Almost Giving Into Pressure and Disbelief**

Fred had cornered her in the library and stole her book with his quick fingers. He had it on his head, perched atop his head, balanced but still wobbling with his hand hovering over it if it chose to be uncooperative and fell. He, of course, had a good foot on her. She tried to retrieve her book in multiple ways. She jumped up and down, but he just grabbed the book once more and raised it over his head, adding more distance between Hermione's fingertips and the bound leather book.

She tackled him, but he was quite tall and was not lanky like Ronald. He had muscles under all that cloth-covered skin. It definitely wasn't Quidditch. How the heck do you get buff from riding a broomstick? You don't! The thought is ridiculous. What _did _he do, exactly? Her attack resulted in a slightly hurt upper body along with a matching pride. (Hermione's upper body and pride, of course!) Fred laughed at her and rubbed his chest. "Yeah, that hurt, Hermione!" he replied, obviously joking.

Maybe he did a lot of crunches and push ups… She snapped out of her thoughts.

She had to resort to violence. She _needed_ that book back. Her life depended on it! But that was just how she felt about every book she came into contact with. Hermione grumbled and pulled her fist back. She closed her eyes and let her fist injure any body part it chose to touch first. She grunted as her balled up hand met Fred's unimaginably hard…

--ribcage. She retracted her hand and cradled it in the other. Fred guffawed and received a loud shushing from Madame Pince. George finally appeared from a few bookshelves down and walked over to the scene. "You hit a girl, mate?" George gasped audibly. "Not cool."

Fred chuckled and put his arm around Hermione's shoulders. "I didn't do that, actually. She accomplished that on her own."

"Ahh, punching books now, Hermione? I didn't take you for a violent kind of girl." George tilted his head back and laughed. He flipped his long mane of hair, though it was pointless considering his hair returned to its normal position; in his face, blocking his view. "Especially to books! Aren't they your best friends? After Harry and Ron of course."

"Or maybe they're before Harry and Ron!" Fred added. He was dangerously close to Hermione. She wondered what the best murder plot was. Suffocation, a gun, a knife… a spoon? She could find a way to talk to Voldemort for that…

She pushed the thoughts of murder to the back of her head. _Finish school first. Ruin your life after you have accomplished something. _Hermione rolled her eyes and shrugged Fred's arm off her shoulder. "I am not insensitive enough to harm books, George. I punched your brother over here for being a jerk."

George raised a red eyebrow at Fred. "She punched you?" Fred nodded. "Did it hurt?"

He shook his head and grinned. "Only her," Fred replied, stifling a laugh with the palm of his hand.

George didn't stifle anything. He chortled, tilting his head back once more. It was the perfect moment to hurt him if she had the correct tools… Hermione glared, alternating the gaze from one twin to the other. They made faces at her in response, so Hermione ceased glaring. "What do you boys want?"

"Our birthday presents!" came the simultaneous response with the matching smiles.

"You have those already. You're _wearing_ part of it," she pointed to their shirts, a deep green button down, long sleeved shirt for Fred and a royal blue button down, long sleeved shirt for George, to represent their favorite colors. They were Gryffindors through and through but red and gold clashed with their hair color.

She seemed to be backed into the corner again, except this time; George was added into the mix. It was quite intimidating to have two towering twins push you into a corner. _Oh the possibilities, _she thought. Fred stepped in front of his brother and continued moving toward her.

"I always though you were a 'woo-ing' type of girl," Fred whispered as he inched closer to her. "I'd be happy to woo you. That is, if you allow me to." Hermione rolled her eyes, forgetting the position she was in only for a moment. "Not a woo-ing girl, then? Maybe you like pick-up lines." He cleared his throat. "Interested in making some magic together? My wand is at the ready."

"You're disgusting," she groaned, pushing him away. "And your pick up lines are terrible."

Fred laughed. "May I try again then?" Hermione raised an eyebrow. "You must be magical, because I've fallen under your spell."

Hermione chuckled. "You went from inappropriate to cheesy?"

Fred looked genuinely confused. _Loads of practice, _she assumed. "Is there an in-between?" he asked.

"Apparently you didn't care enough to find middle ground," she grumbled.

"Well, maybe middle ground isn't good enough for you." He began taking tiny steps closer to close the already small space between them. "Maybe one or the other is the best for you."

Their eyes never broke contact. Hermione's were full of uncertainty. Fred's eyes, Hermione thought, were full of mischief and humor.

May Day, May Day! This was not good. Her backside collided softly into the wall and Hermione panicked. Her breathing shallowed and her heart rate quickened. She pushed against Fred's chest, but he continued moving closer. He leaned in, grinning. Hermione glanced at his face, from his hair-covered forehead to his countless freckles to his quivering Adam's Apple. Her gaze lingered noticeably longer on his lips. They looked so soft! How did he do that? She had this urge to—

No, she couldn't let them humiliate her like that.

She couldn't let him use her for his laughing purposes.

She wasn't that kind of girl.

She wasn't to be made a fool of, especially not in front of Fred and George.

He placed his hands on the wall on either side of her head, and his chest was about an inch from her own. Hermione struggled against Fred's weight. He was so heavy! Or maybe she was too weak… She didn't know what to do! How could she get the ginger haired boy away from her? Hermione looked all around the room and finally had an idea. She looked him in the eye and…

She stomped on his foot.

Heads collided, knees moved past each other, and Fred lost balance from clutching his maltreated foot. His shoulder smacked into the wall and held him up. Hermione uttered an apology and left the corner. George watched her retreating backside in wonder. Fred moaned in pain on the floor. George laughed a little at his brother before helping him up. "She is something, don't you agree?"

Fred nodded. They gathered their things and retreated to the door.

A huge tome was left unnoticed on the library floor.

Hermione walked down the stairs in complete disbelief.

She couldn't believe she almost leaned in…

* * *

**Lovely people, that's what you are. :D**

**Make me happy, please. **


	3. April 3

**April 3****rd**

**A Day of Momentary Relaxation, and Complementary Contemplation**

Fred and George Weasley sat across from each other under a shady tree by the Black Lake cross legged and staring at each other. Students ran around, sunbathed, and a certain Gryffindor girl read in the middle of the grassy area, watching the twins.

What were they doing? Practicing twin telepathy?! Whatever, it shouldn't matter to her. It _didn't_ matter to her. She returned her stare to her book but not to read. No, she hadn't done much of that for the past two days thanks to that couple of cantankerous cardinal-headed clowns.

George stood up with his twin in tow, moving toward Hermione. Something was planned; she could feel it. Undoubtedly, she was worried for what was to come. Was there going to be yelling, specifically directed at her? Not very likely, she thought. They never were the angry type of people; at least not toward her, even when she was a horrible person. Were they going to bother her again? It was possible. They _had_ been doing it the whole week, so why would they stop? Or…

They could be trying to test a product on her. She was absolutely terrified! Any victim of their untested products was quite traumatized by the end. She'd kept her rear end safe from harm before, but she was the only person in site! How could she escape?!

Panic filled her completely when they stood before her, tall, proud, and red-haired. She was still settled on the ground on her bottom. They looked like giants from her point of view. She waved up childishly at them and they insensitively waved down at her.

Oh well, it _was_ fair.

She helped herself off of the ground with a push and stood up. Hermione dusted off the grass and dirt from her lower half. "Maybe you should've stayed sitting down," a light-hearted voice commented.

"Yes," the other laughed. "It made us feel much better about our heights. It gave us something to inwardly boast about."

A sarcastic laugh pushed its way from Hermione's throat. "Inwardly?" she questioned. The twins nodded and she scoffed. "Right. You 'inwardly' boast about my regular height compared to yours. That isn't enough for you?" She ended it in a much lighter tone than she expected.

Fred and George looked at each other and turned back and Hermione. Great, more twin telepathy. They nodded at her. "It is enough then?" Hermione was appalled. They never gave up that easily.

George laughed, "No, Hermione. We meant—"

""Yes," it isn't enough," Fred completed.

She raised an eyebrow. "Right."

Awkwardly, she stared at both of them. It was getting too tense. "Is there something you wanted?" Hermione blurted. George wiggled his eye brows suggestively at her. She rolled her eyes. "_Besides that_, you pervert."

Fred laughed. "We just wanted to say hello!"

"And Fred also wants an apology," George finished for his look-alike. Fred nodded sheepishly.

"Apology?" a confused bookworm asked. "For what?"

Two pairs of brown eyes out of the three in the circle (or triangle) widened. "What do you mean 'for what'?" George gasped dramatically. Or was he serious?

"I mean, what does Fred want an apology for? I have done nothing wrong."

"Like heck you have, bookworm!" George said, raising his voice a little. She honestly couldn't tell if he was being serious or not. Was he getting angry at her? Fred put his hand on his brother's shoulder and whispered something to him. George calmed down. Fred smiled a little, more hesitantly than other smiles he had given her. Hermione was still quite confused.

"Oh," she finally said. She remembered. "Yesterday." Her face heated up. She was ashamed. She slowly turned to Fred. "I'm sorry for that, but you can't place all of the blame on me. You were dangerously close, Fred. What else was I to do?"

George tried to interject, probably with something slightly insulting, but Fred beat him to it. "You could've told me to stop," he stated. His smile got wider. "But you didn't. It really is hard to resist our charm."

An odd burning sensation filled her chest.

"I'm really sorry, Fred!" Hermione confessed. "I feel awful."

Fred and George chuckled. "You're forgiven, bookworm."

"Now that _that's_ sorted out," George said with the biggest puppy dog eyes he could muster, "would you like to make up for it by testing one of our products?"

She rolled her eyes automatically. "No, thank you! That'll only get me into trouble."

"Ahh yes, and you're perfect little prefect Granger!" Fred said.

"And you can't get into trouble or you'll ruin that clean reputation of yours." George seemed to be enjoying this.

"But you know," Fred said slowly. "Your reputation's already tarnished."

Appalled, Hermione gasped. "What are you two going on about?"

"We're just saying that—"

"—your reputation's already tarnished—"

"—because you hang around us," they finished simultaneously.

"So it wouldn't hurt—"

"—for you to test out—"

"—our harmless little product!" Again, they finished simultaneously.

"What's the product, boys?" Hermione asked. She was probably setting herself up for something horrible.

Fred and George smiled at each other before Fred answered. "It's just a little potion, bookworm!"

"Yeah, no need to get your knickers in a knot," George winked.

"Unless you want us to do that personally." Matching grins stained her vision. Fred fished a vial out of his pocket and handed it to her.

She opened the vial with a pop and observed it carefully. She noted the color, but she couldn't tell what it was at first. They obviously put some color in there to make it hard to recognize. She smelled it. It smelled like… apples mixed with a slightly spicy scent with a bit of a manly "I've-just-spent-the-whole-day-outside-in-the-fresh-air smell, but it wasn't overpowering. It smelled like…

She knew it.

She _knew_ it.

"Oh my god," she whispered. Turning to Fred and George she raised her voice to say, "I can't believe you two!"

The boys feigned shock. "What ever do you mean, Hermione?"

"Yeah! It's a harmless potion!"

"Harmless, my arse!" she barked. "It's a love potion!"

"I told you she'd figure it out," George whispered to Fred. He only shrugged in response.

"It was worth a try!"

She closed the vial and handed it back to Fred. "Better luck next time, boys."

The twins broke into laughter. "Right, Hermione. Hopefully we'll catch you in a moment of slowness and we'll get you to drink it," Fred hoped.

"Oh, and I must say, you may punch like a girl, but your foot is quite strong. Fred's big toe is bruised! He's practically a cripple!" He turned to his brother. "Show the lady!"

Fred dramatically limped around the audience of his brother and the bushy-haired book aspiring librarian. To make his act more theatrical, he fell on his back in the grass, clutching his foot. He released his foot to grasp his throat and 'died.'

George kicked him (gently) alive. Fred jumped up but didn't bother to wipe the dirt and grass off of his clothing. "Well, I got what I needed!" Fred cried jovially. "Good day, Hermione!" Fred pushed his brother toward the tree they previously occupied.

She sat herself back down again and proceeded to watch the pair again.

Her forehead started to get sore from her eyes brows being knitted together for so long. Honestly, they weren't _that_ confusing. They were just a pretty pair of playful pranksters; two tricky tenacious trouble-makers; terrible team of temperamental tricksters; a link of lanky lollygagging larkers.

She was running out of alliterations.

Oh! She had one more.

They were a duo of devilish disaster-causing doofuses!

But they _were_ good-looking, she had to admit. They made her laugh even though they were completely out of line most of the time. They actually seemed to have fun around her! They allowed her to have fun, which was hard to do knowing who and how she was. She relaxed her forehead muscles and looked up at the twins once again. They still sat there staring at each other. Had they even moved?! She closed her book and set it onto the grass.

There were subtle differences between Fred and George that Hermione noticed. George had longer hair: that was the main reason people could tell them apart at the time. They really were quite different people.

Fred was the one who was more open with his emotions, and didn't hold back. George was more reserved, but together they were large and in charge. The twins were anything but shy. You knew where they were and what they were doing, unless of course they were pulling a prank. She could admit that they were smart and they really knew what they were doing.

Fred finally broke the stare with his brother and glanced over at her. He didn't seem surprised in the least. She smiled meekly at him, apologetic from the day before. He grinned back and nodded. For some reason, Hermione felt her face get warmer. What was her problem? He just smiled. He did it all the time. Normal was comfortable.

George finally looked over and smiled at her as well. But it didn't make her react in an odd way. _His_ smile was definitely normal.

Why was Fred's smile so different?

She compared their smiles silently. George's smile was cheeky, flirtatious, and crooked. It was slightly suggestive, but that was his attitude toward anything that wore a skirt. That was another difference between Fred and George; while they were both flirty, George was more open about being a hormone-filled boy. He was the one who went through girls like used tissue. George was indeed a ladies' man.

Fred was…something else entirely. He thought things through, even the littlest things. He was detailed and thorough with all of his products and made sure things went the way they should. He was—what was a good word for it?—picky. He wasn't accompanied by girls every step of the way. He was the more independent of the twins, which didn't seem possible seeing as they were hardly ever apart.

But there were times at the Burrow in the summer where George would be running around by himself and Fred would be left behind in the house without his twin, by choice of course, and Hermione would find him in his shared room with the door wide open while he worked on a new product. He bounced on the balls of his feet as he ran around the room for more ingredients and pieces for whatever he was working on. He was so serious about his work, and she admired him for that.

There was more to him than just a prankster.

The redhead that made her feel strange turned away to talk to his brother, the redhead that didn't make her react in such an odd way. A laugh escaped her lips when she thought about it. They looked so alike and yet…

She inspected George's smile and then noted Fred's grin.

They certainly didn't have the same affect on her.

Sighing contentedly, she picked up her book one more time. She really needed to get her mind off of that boy. Wasting her time on a male? She certainly had better things to do. She would leave the unrequited love to the romance obsessed, happy-ending seeking girls that strolled around in packs around Hogwarts.

She preferred her nose stuck in a book anyway.

* * *

**Reviews make me feel magical. :)**


	4. April 4

**April 4****th**

**A Day of Model-esque Boys and Not Being in Love**

Hermione figuratively (or was it literally?) and predictably had her nose in a book as she walked to the library. The day's good read was a muggle novel. She turned corners, narrowly missing walls and dawdling students, eyes focused on the words on the pages. The common room was much too noisy as usual, so she took her normal route to the library. She was happy that the twins hadn't bothered her all day. It was nearly dinner and she had barely—

"Stop!" a magnified voice boomed through the hall. She spoke--or thought--much too soon. "Ginger time!"

Hermione snapped her head up towards the voice and saw Fred sauntering down the empty hall toward her, making the most of the free space. He did his best model walk, model poses, and 'charming' smiles. He even made his own sexy model theme song. He removed his sweater and threw it over his shoulder, still holding onto the sleeves, and continued doing his silky walk.

At the end of the hallway, George walked out in almost the same way. But instead of walking like a model, he struck a pose for a moment to take advantage of the spotlight and did cartwheel after cartwheel. He wasn't very good; he collided into the wall on more than one occasion.

Well, they were known for being ostentatious.

Hermione, however, continued walking down the hallway. They were always full of surprises. She opened her book once again and moved past the twins. She smiled into the book, not quite reading, when she heard two pairs of footsteps behind her. They were pranksters, but sometimes they were as predictable as she.

Hermione was prepared for that.

There wasn't really a plan; all she had to do was avoid them like the plague. It seemed simple enough. But of course, she'd been trying to do that the past few days and it didn't turn out so well. She looked up and took a left instead of a right and the footsteps trailed behind her. Where could she go?

Her left turn took her to a flight of stairs that went down. She walked down them and listened carefully for the thudding sounds of the twins' feet. She swiveled and turned up and down the staircases all around Hogwarts and still the footsteps didn't stop. They slowed down, sure, but so did hers. She really was out of shape. Oh well, it was a good time for exercise anyway.

Finally, she heard voices. "Where the heck are you going, bookworm?" Clearly, he was out of breath by the sound of his voice.

She laughed; she was tired herself but she tried catching it before saying, "Nowhere, boys. Is there something that you wanted?"

"Our presents!" They both called back. She shook her head. Persistent seemed to be such a weak word. She took in a big breath.

And she ran.

She had a destination. This time it was the Great Hall. She rushed by friends, teachers, peers, and sneering Slytherins and still steps followed her. It seemed that there was only one pair of feet behind her, though. She wondered who stopped…

She swore out loud when the footsteps grew louder and closer. She was almost there! "Almost there, Hermione!" His voice was so sickly sweet, it made her stomach turn. The adrenaline really was getting to Hermione. It was exhilarating. She was lost in her thoughts, so much so that the boy behind her caught up and wrapped his arms around her. "Got you!" Fred whispered in her ear, his breath tickling her skin. She hoped he didn't feel the goose bumps forming on her skin.

There was a bright flash of light before her. She looked up to see Colin Creevey with empty hands beside a foolish George Weasley with the Wizard camera. He returned it to its rightful owner and sauntered into the Great Hall without a word.

"I'll consider that an addition to my birthday present," Fred commented. He released her from his hold and she missed the warm feeling of his body against hers. He was walking away but he paused and turned back to her. "Are you coming?" She nodded absently.

They walked into the Great Hall side by side. Fred told jokes and Hermione laughed politely even though his jokes were stupid and corny. She sat in the empty space beside Harry and across from Ron. Fred gracefully placed his behind in the empty space beside her, squeezing in because of the tiny gap.

A crumpled up dinner napkin thumped against her cranium and landed on her thankfully empty plate. She looked around to see who might have thrown it but she saw no likely instigator. She opened it up.

_**Dear Bookworm,**_

_**I give up.**_

_**Fred doesn't.**_

_**Take a hint.**_

_**Love, **_

_**The Better Looking Twin**_

_**(and if you think I'm Fred, you're extremely mistaken)**_

_**P.S. Thank you for the birthday presents. They're lovely!*insert girlish giggle here***_

She glanced over at George but he was busy chatting up Angelina Johnson. He looked up for a moment to smile at her but returned to his conversation.

This really left her something to think about.

She politely spoke to Ron, Harry, and Fred throughout dinner but she was troubled.

Why was she feeling like this? It was _Fred_, for Merlin's sake! He was Ron's brother, George's twin, one half of the Great Weasley Pranksters! Weren't there some kind of unspoken rules? Don't fall you're your best friend's brother. Don't fall for a prankster. And yet…

And yet she could take her mind off of him. He always seemed to be in such a close distance from her. He acted normal enough, just…closer. She didn't mind but it made her insides go completely mental. She felt like she swallowed an angry Buckbeak whole. Was it a good feeling?

It _could_ be a good feeling at times. But there were moments where it made her feel like combusting. Yes, it was a good feeling; pleasant. It was pointless. He was like her brother. He joked around with her like he did with everybody else. He was protective like Ron and Harry, and they were like her brothers, too. He didn't act much different from them, excluding the pranks, the close proximities, and cornering her in libraries.

He was like her _brother_!

But she certainly wasn't having sibling-like feelings.

She found herself wishing that he wasn't either.

Hermione turned to Fred and laughed at another one of his corny jokes. She held back a sigh.

She was not in love with Fred Weasley. She couldn't be.

* * *

**The reviews keep me going. (And the more I get, the sooner I'll post the rest of it.) :)**


	5. April 5

**April 5****th**

**A Day of Failed Experiments and Insults**

"So, Hermione," Fred casually said across the table from her at breakfast. Harry and Ron sat at a different end of the table to find some homework to 'borrow.' It was just Hermione and Fred. Granger and Weasley. The bookworm and the prankster. The odd not-so-couple-ish couple. He leaned in just a smidge and lowered his voice. "When are we getting our birthday presents?" He momentarily glanced at George but he was busy with Angelina. "At least, when am _I_ getting my birthday present?"

Hermione was enjoying her breakfast of her peanut butter and banana sandwich when that obnoxious lad bothered her again. She almost slammed her sandwich onto her plate. "When are you going to leave it be, Fred?" It was hard enough to feel these…things for him. Giving the present to him would lead to a whole other mess.

Fred gasped. "Leave what be? I'm just trying to get my gift, you bushy-haired barmy girl!"

"_Well, _you red-maned overgrown boy, you're not getting it. We've gone over this before." She wasn't angry, nor was she annoyed.

She had little hope as it was.

"Ouch, bookworm!" called George from his seat. Had they really been that loud? "When did you grow scales and start calling yourself a Slytherin?"

Hermione stuck her tongue out at him and said playfully, "Shove it, clone! Eat your breakfast like a good little boy." George saluted and shoveled down the rest of his meal.

Fred laughed. "The unfortunate-looking twin is right. When did you get so nasty? You cut my heart out with that comment, you did!" He traced an invisible tear down his cheek.

A smirk arose on Hermione's face and she leaned in closer. She gestured for him to do the same. "Shh," she shushed. "Don't tell anyone but… Snape's my uncle. He trains me when I'm home for the holidays." She leaned back and reveled in the appalled look on the freckled fiend's face.

"No way!" he gasped. "Do you wear matching black billowing robes?"

"Yes, and I borrow his lovely shampoo as well!"

"I hate to break it to you, but Snape's hair looks much better than yours, darling."

Hermione kicked him under the table – hard. As a reflex, Fred's knee jumped and collided into the table, the sudden movement of the table causing his drink to spill over. "Woops." The insincerity in her voice was absent. "How clumsy of me."

Fred laughed half-heartedly. "Right. I suppose you wouldn't mind if I borrowed your drink!" He snatched her goblet before she had the chance to respond. She _did_ have slow reflexes. It was one of the many reasons she never tried playing Quidditch. She huffed and crossed her arms. Fred grinned. "Don't worry, Granger! I'll fetch you another drink. Now, I need to find an empty cup…"

Hermione interrupted. "I believe you mean, 'an empty and _clean_ cup.'"

A crimson colored eyebrow was raised. "Right." He spotted a cup. "Ginny! Hand me that empty and _clean_ cup in front of you." Ginny tossed it at his head, hitting the target spot on. "Thanks," he grumbled. He poured some apple juice into the goblet, but before he passed it to Hermione, a second year beside her knocked over her book bag. She turned to pick it up and didn't notice Fred pour something into her drink…

She thanked Fred for the beverage but just set it back down onto the table. Fred's eyes were fixed on Hermione's face. There was something off about his smile… Hermione didn't think much of it, though. Their eyes met and a challenge begun. The eye contact wasn't to be broken. It was just Fred and Hermione. Weasley versus Granger. Prankster against bookworm. Brown battling brown.

She blinked.

"Ah-ha!" Fred cried. "You have been defeated, m'lady."

"Indeed I have, sir. Good on you, mate!" she said jovially. She grabbed her goblet and took a sip. The simple action made Fred's face split into a humongous grin. She wondered briefly if such a smile would hurt, but she took note of the smile and stopped mid-sip. "What did you do to this drink?"

"Let's just say it's one of my most brilliant plans to date," he smiled.

"Oh Merlin," she gasped. She had wide eyes. "You're turning me into a fire crotch!"

Hermione snapped her head to the sound of laughter. "Great idea, Hermione!" George managed to say through his giggles. "But not quite."

She turned back to Fred. "That came out wrong." Hermione laughed awkwardly.

"Tell me, Hermione," Fred whispered. He leaned in toward her. "Do you feel any… different right now?"

There was a pause as Hermione checked herself. Well, since she thought about it, she did feel a bit odd. But what was it? She nodded. "Really now?" Fred's smile grew bigger. "Can you explain the feeling to me?"

"Well, my heart is pounding, my throat is clenching up, my pulse is quickening and I feel like something is bubbling up inside of me waiting to…" There was a huge rumble in her chest and a roar-like sound escaped from her lips.

She burped.

Hermione felt the stares of hundreds of pairs of eyes fixed on her. "Pardon me," she whispered. The rest of the students went back to their own conversations.

Fred's reaction was a bit different from the others'. His smile was broken and replaced with a dropped jaw. He was slouched over, as well. "Something wrong, Fred?" questioned Hermione.

He shook his head and muttered to himself, but Hermione couldn't quite catch it.

"Oh, Freddie!" a sing song voice called from beside Hermione. "You are absolutely adorable when you pout!"

Fred looked up to see just who was complimenting him, but his words of thanks stayed in his throat when he saw the person who uttered the nice words. Hermione also turned to see who was speaking to the redhead.

"Seamus!?" came the simultaneous response from Hermione and Fred.

"I _love_ it when you say my name, Fred!" Seamus confessed, clasping his hands together and brought them to his chest. "It makes me absolutely melt!"

At that point, most of the Gryffindor table had turned their attention toward Hermione and Fred once more. However, that time, it was Seamus' doing. The other three Houses could honestly care less about the happenings at other tables. Food was everyone's weakness at Hogwarts, it seemed.

Fred was overwhelmed by the Irish boy sitting diagonally from him. What the heck was wrong with him?! That confession of love wasn't expected from him. It was supposed to be…

Wait.

Wait.

**Wait!**

He could've given himself whiplash with the speed of his head turning. "What did you do?" he asked slowly and not-so-calmly. Hermione bit the insides of her cheeks to keep herself from smiling.

"What are you talking about?" she asked carefully. She was treading in enemy territory, she knew. She needed control.

"You heard me!" Fred was pissed; absolutely annoyed. He'd been played!

"I assure you, Fred, if I had done something, you would've known by now. You _know_ how unimaginably obvious I am. I would never be able to pull a prank on such talent like you!" Giggles escaped from her lips. There wasn't a point in holding back.

Fred ran a hand through his messy mane of hair. "How did you do it?" In the background, Seamus tried getting Fred's attention. Instead of achieving that goal, he was held back by Dean and George as they tried leading him outside of the Great Hall. "I _know_ I poured it into the goblet."

Hermione shrugged, still grinning. "I suppose I could have _accidentally_ drunk from the wrong goblet?" Her sweet smile was enough to make Fred sick with the exaggeration, but he was proud.

He smirked. "I see I've rubbed off on you."

Hermione scoffed. "Right. It was all _your_ doing because I am incapable of completing such tasks on my own."

"You're absolutely correct! Perhaps it was a complete accident. Maybe you just _happened_ to pick up the wrong goblet and Seamus just _happened_ to drink out of the goblet I had given you. It was purely coincidental! I see now!" The look of pure happiness on Fred's face frightened Hermione a little. But it did make her insides churn a bit more than it had been. It was definitely a good feeling. "I could kiss you, you intelligent little witch."

Hermione's eyes bulged at the suggestion. "Please don't," she half-begged. She couldn't have that.

He wasn't sincere about it.

He didn't mean it in the way she wanted him to.

Some called it doubt. She called it safe. Whatever it was, she had no clue what to believe was truth so she stuck with the negative. "Why not?" Fred smirked. "Afraid of cooties? I promise you that I don't have any diseases."

Hermione sighed; he was never serious. "How can you be so sure of that?"

Fred laughed. It was always a warm and welcoming sound. She hoped he didn't notice that every time he did laugh, she would automatically smile. She tried suppressing it this time around. "Well, I don't have warts in weird places, and my skin hasn't discharged any weird colored liquids, so I think it's safe to assume that I'm disease and infection free."

"Gross, Fred. I'm _eating._"

"Like a pig, I've noticed."

Hermione feigned astonishment. "How dare you!"

"It's simple, really. I'd be more than happy to teach you!"

"I'll pass, thanks," Hermione said. She turned and noticed Seamus gazing at Fred. Fred, sitting across from her, surprisingly didn't seem to notice the infatuate boy just diagonal from him. He seemed intent on watching Hermione. She stood up. "I'm going back to the common room. Good bye, Fred! I hope you enjoy the rest of breakfast with _Seamus_ over here. Ciao!"

Hermione picked up her bags and books slowly, so she could hear the inevitable conversation between Seamus and Fred. "Fred," Seamus said with his Irish lull. "How _are_ you doing on this fine morning? Everything's well, I trust?"

"Uhm, yeah, thanks Seamus. How are you?" Fred started to sweat. She loved how things could backfire at the best—or worst, when one thought of it—of times.

"I'm _fabulous,_ thanks," Seamus sighed. "You're absolutely lovely to look at, did you know?" Hermione didn't hide her laughter. Fred glared at her, and she smiled.

"Er, thank you, Seamus. You're –uh— not so bad yourself?"

Hermione looked up at Seamus; he looked like he had died and gone to heaven! "Are you available tonight? I think I need some help in… Charms!"

Fred almost gagged. He needed an escape. This was way too much to handle! "Look, Seamus, there was a love potion in your drink that shouldn't have been there and I'm really sorry but this will go away in a few hours and I'm not interested, okay thanks, bye!" Fred ran out of the Great Hall, but was shortly followed by a short Irishman.

"Fred!" Seamus cried. "Fred, wait! Come back! You're irresistible! I don't care that it's a love potion! Just be with me. Please!"

Hermione walked out of the Great Hall with a smirk that would make you swear that she was the heir of Slytherin. Too bad that occupation was taken by that poor excuse for a wizard.

She was in for it big time the next time she ran into Fred.

Oh, the horrible, horrible possibilities.

* * *

**Teehee. More reviews equal faster updates. :3 I've got it all done already. **


	6. April 6

**April 6****th**

**A Day of Forced Truth, Muffled Truth, and Interrupted Truth**

Hermione Granger was not known for being a vengeful type of person.

Hermione _was, _however, known as the smartest witch of her age. If she wasn't, she wouldn't have been able to sneak all of the potions from Snape's class she collected over the years. Dense as Ron, she was, but obvious? Not always. She knew how to get things done.

Besides, she just _had _to do it. The cauldron was practically begging her to.

She was only happy to oblige, of course.

So there she was, walking the halls of Hogwarts with a vial of a special potion in her pocket. She had a few vials of it in her trunk; she had a lot of free time in the summer, which shouldn't surprise anyone. Hermione wasn't just walking around the halls just because it was a nice day, though it was a very beautiful day! No, she was searching for someone; she was searching for a certain tall redhead with a twin.

And there he was, just sitting against the wall with a huge sandwich, stuffing his face.

She made a face. "That's disgusting."

"That's life, darling." Hadn't he learned "Don't talk with your mouth full"? But of course, he was a male. He didn't care.

Hermione sighed dramatically. "Then it is safe to conclude that life is disgusting?" She continued without a response. "If that's all life is, maybe there's nothing to live for anymore!"

Fred wrapped an arm around her shoulder and held her close. "There's always me, bookworm." He looked her in the eyes. "I could be what you live for."

Music to her ears, that sentence was. She almost allowed herself to melt at his beautiful words. It was the most amazing thing she had ever heard him say and it made her insides do incredible things, but her heart was in pain. It was just part of his joke. She replied (to the best of her ability) sarcastically, "Right, Fred. _You're_ really worth living for."

"I know you feel it, Hermione!" He was getting closer. He moved his hand to her hip, and the other moved to cup her cheek. "I know I feel it. We're meant to be!"

Hermione chuckled. "Of course we are, you prankster. We'll get married and shag and have 10 little redheaded bookworms who wreak havoc on Hogwarts and we'll live happily ever after. It's all I dream of."

"I also planned on having a few thestrals, giants, and a couple of rabid dogs in the mix!"

"Sounds perfect," she replied. "I'm glad we have our whole life together planned out before we even have a first date. It makes things so much simpler."

Hermione pushed him off of her, but Fred still held on, just with a little more space in between them. "Couldn't agree more, you lovely girl!"

"I'm glad you think so, you prat. Now let go of me, please." Her demanding tone did nothing to him. The change in name calling didn't surprise Fred. He encouraged it, as expected.

"You're such a bossy know-it-all." He started pulling her closer again.

"You're an unintelligent, unimaginative jerk." She didn't struggle.

"Based on that observation, you're blind and oblivious. You've seen the pranks we pull!" His volume was getting lower.

"You're also quite narcissistic, apparently." Yes, she loved encouraging him.

"It's in the genes, doll face. You're the ignorant one."

Hermione could feel his warm breath on her face. Her stomach insides were doing a dangerous tango. "Based on that observation," she mimicked, "I'm not the only blind and oblivious one. You've seen my grades, my work, and me in general."

"Boastful, aren't you?" The smile on his face showed he didn't care that he was standing so dangerously close to her. But it wasn't as if he ever cared about his proximity with her.

"Just proud, darling." Their lips almost touched, and Hermione finally—and appropriately, no matter how tardy the action was—pulled away. Hermione smirked. She was getting better at this little game they played.

Fred frowned. "And yes, I _have_ seen you. You're stunning, bookworm." He attempted to pull her in again, but his efforts failed. She pulled herself out of his hold and began to walk away. He wouldn't let her. "Granger, get back here. I'm not through with you!" Hermione laughed merrily.

"And if I'm through with you?" she asked as she spun around as gracefully as she could. Her pivot only made Fred laugh.

"You'll never be through with me, Hermione," he cried, jogging toward her. "Not when I'm so clearly obsessed with you."

"Of course you are, redhead. And I am as equally smitten by you as you are with me." With a roll of her eyes, Fred chuckled.

"I knew you'd see it my way, bookworm!"

She scoffed. "Always, Fred!"

"You sarcastic drawl has become less and less sarcastic with each passing comment!" gasped Fred. "Could you be becoming sincere?!"

"Hardly." Hermione sped up her walk, but Fred continued on beside her without breaking a sweat. "Come on, it's almost lunch! I'm starved." She ran all the way to the Great Hall with Fred on her tail. "Can't catch me!" she yelled along the way.

"Oh no, Granger, slow down," he said monotonously. "How ever will I catch up to such a slow creature?"

Hermione put her game face on. "You're challenging me now?" She sped up. "Well, I'll beat you!" Her legs moved quick as she could move them, but Fred trailed her. He didn't seem to be going at very fast, which suited Hermione just fine. They ran into the Great Hall exploding with laughter, breathing hard.

This time, there was no camera, no Creevey, and no cretin named George.

"Told you I'd beat you!" she cried from across the tables.

"I let you win, bookworm," he said in between breaths.

"Riiiight!" They sat down across from each other, Fred beside Ginny and George and Hermione between Ron and Harry.

"What have you two been up to?" Ron was even worse with the "Don't talk with your mouth full" rule.

"I let Hermione win in a foot race, just to feed her ego."

"I won fair and square!"

"Whatever!" Fred said.

"We both know I won!"

"I _let_ you." Hermione poured herself and Fred drinks.

"Okay, whatever you say!" Hermione reached for a bread roll, but 'accidentally' knocked it off the table. "Woops!" As expected, Fred reached down to retrieve the rolling roll of bread. Hermione quickly took the vial of potion out of her pocket and poured it in Fred's cup.

When Fred resurfaced, Hermione got more than her dirty bread roll back; she earned more than a few odd looks from her friends. She raised her index finger to her mouth to signify silence, and they obliged. They _knew_ something good was coming. She passed Fred his cup and he drank it without hesitation. It was only when he saw the looks on everyone's faces that he thought about what he just did.

"Oh, bugger," he coughed and stared at his cup. He glared at Hermione's grinning face. "You witch! What did you do to my drink?"

"It's just a little something called payback," she confessed. Harry, Ron, George, and Ginny snickered behind their food. "I'm sure you've heard of it."

"You're completely cynical!" he cried, feeling his face for any abnormalities. "What did you add to it?"

Hermione guffawed. "Well let's see…" She turned to her friends. "Do you have any dirty little questions you'd like to ask Fred?"

George, Ginny, Ron and Harry all grinned evilly. "Yes, indeed we do," Ginny said smirking. Fred was shell shocked. He looked as if he was 5 and was just told Santa Claus wasn't real. For a moment. his jaw was dropped, his eyes were wide, and his knuckles were turning white from grasping the edge of the table. _So he has something to hide, _Hermione thought. Fred straightened up and tried to look nonchalant, but he was still grasping the table.

"Do your worst, siblings and adopted sibling," he challenged.

"We definitely plan to," Ron said through his food. He swallowed. "Where did you hide my new shoes?"

"George's trunk," Fred answered robotically.

"Git!" Ron jumped up. "Did you do anything to them?"

"We changed them into a bright pink color." Ron jumped up and ran out of the Great Hall. Fred turned to Hermione. "That wasn't so bad!"

"You're forgetting the other three here." Happy was not accurate. Hermione was… ecstatic. She finally beat Fred at his own game.

It was Ginny's turn. "What other evil schemes are you and George working on?"

Fred covered his mouth and mumbled his response. "I'm sorry, what was that?" Harry restrained Fred's hands.

"We have a surprise for you when your head hits your pillow tonight. And I promise that your trademark red hair will not be so trademark red when you awake." He retrieved his limbs. Ginny was completely angry. "Fix it, George, or I'm telling Mum."

George was definitely pissed. "Ugh, Granger, you're absolutely evil."

"Thanks!" she cried. "You're not so bad yourself." She continued her meal with a smile. Ginny pushed George out of the Great Hall.

Harry asked his question next. "Did you do anything to any of my possessions?"

"No, but we planned to."

"What, exactly?"

"It involves your bed, your broomstick, and a life-size cut out of Snape on a very long piece of parchment." Harry's eyes widened.

"Now that I know, are you still going on with it?" Harry asked carefully.

"Not on you. We always have backup test dummies."

Harry laughed. "Well that's comforting." Harry looked over to Hermione, who was enjoying every moment of the Veritaserum in Fred's system. "I have a few more questions," he informed Fred, but he didn't take his eyes off of Hermione. Fred, however, was annoyed. He was glad that the potion wasn't supposed to last very long. When he was finished with those two, he planned to hide in his bed until the potion wore off. Hermione looked up and met Harry's gaze, and immediately felt that something was wrong. _What was he up to?_ "What do you think of Hermione?"

Fred didn't panic in the slightest. Hermione, on the other hand, was interested and annoyed at the same time. Fred grinned before answering. "She's the most obnoxious, irritating, and way too smart for her own good." Hermione glared at him and put her fork down. She was no longer hungry. "But she's beautiful, and opinionated, and intriguing."

"Why do you continue to bother Hermione?" Harry asked.

"I love how she gets frazzled when she pretends to be angry at me but she really isn't."

Harry smiled at Hermione. "Last question," Harry said. "How do you feel about Hermione?"

"I—" Fred couldn't finish his answer, for George appeared out of nowhere and covered Fred's mouth. He must have heard the question when he walked into the hall, and ran to save him. Fred was extremely thankful.

"Fred is now officially in my custody. I will return him to you when he his not under the influence of this potion. But for now, you are not allowed to speak to my client-slash-brother." George kept his hand on Fred's mouth and forced him to move out of his seat. " If you attempt t contact him, you will face the wrath of our countless amazing products, found and sold at WWW! Good day." George continued to cover Fred's mouth even as they walked out of the hall together. Fred struggled, but it didn't work well. "This is for your own good, Fred," George whispered.

Hermione didn't want to hear Fred's answer. Definitely not. She glared at Harry. "Why did you ask such a stupid question?

Harry only gave her a blank stare. "Sometimes, I wonder if you really are "The Smartest Witch of Your Age."" He stood up. "Let's get Ron so we can visit Hagrid."

Hermione gave Harry a curious look. She stood up and walked out of the Great Hall.

What the hell did Harry mean by that?

* * *

**Two more chapters to go, fellow HP fans. **

**I love all who read, review, alert, favorite, etc. on this story. You make me feel loved.**

**So, feedback? Questions? Comments?**

**Make me smile! It just takes a few extra clicks. **


	7. April 7

**April 7****th**

**A Day of Being in "Da Nile" and Appreciating Magic**

Hermione decided that the day was definitely not beautiful enough for her to sit in the grass to read. Instead, she opted for a comfortable seat in the Gryffindor common room on the worn out cushions of the red sofa. The room was occupied by many of her peers, but they were spread out to have their own breathing room. Other students could be seen walking up the stairs to the dormitories, out of the portrait, or they stayed put. The common room was mostly quiet, except for the soft murmurs of the conversations that occurred around the room. It was more than comfortable for her. It was a perfect setting!

But as always, the almost-perfection would be too good to be true. Someone would interrupt her peace, and completely ruin—

"Hermione!" At least she saw it coming, but the person who destroyed the wonderful setting was not Fred Weasley, as she expected. Instead, it was Harry Potter, the famous Boy-Who-Lived, and best friend. She grinned at him; she hadn't spoken to him properly for days!

"Good morning, Harry!"

"Uhm, I think it's afternoon." Hermione glanced at the grandfather clock in the room. Oh, so it was afternoon.

"I see," she said. "Well, what do I owe the pleasure of your presence?"

Harry hesitated before answering. "I'm not blind, you know."

"I'd hope not with those pesky glasses of yours," said Hermione simply.

"I'm beginning to think that _you're_ worse than Ron," he groaned.

"Worse than _Ronald_?!" she gasped. "Do you hear yourself, Harry? That's the most preposterous and evil thing you could ever say to me!"

"_Hey!_" a voice yelled from across the room. Maybe she should have lowered her voice a little. "Sorry, Ron! I meant well," she yelled. He turned from her and muttered something to himself.

"You're in love with Fred." Harry might as well have slapped her across the face! The first thought that ran through her mind was _How the _hell_ did he know?!_

She laughed nervously. "That's even more preposterous than being worse than Ronald at anything."

"_If you're going to poke fun at me, at least do it outside you jerks!_"

"Sorry, Ron!"

"You know I'm right, Hermione," Harry said seriously. "You can't deny it with a straight face. You're completely smitten."

"You're completely wrong about that assumption, Harry Potter!" she said smartly. "I am in love with no such person. That's like me accusing you of being in love with Professor Snape!"

Harry lost his serious act and laughed. "That's disgusting. Deny your feelings for Fred all you want, but sooner or later, something's going to happen, and you're going to want to scream your love to the entire world." With that, he left.

"Pfft," she mumbled to herself. "Yeah right." Suddenly, Ron Weasley was plopped onto the sofa next to her.

"Talking to yourself again, 'Mione?" he asked.

"I do not **talk **to myself, _Ronald,_" she argued. "I'm just thinking out loud."

"To yourself?"

"Precisely!"

Ron rolled his eyes and ruffled her hair. Why did people like doing that?! "What did you and Harry just talk about, besides me?"

Hermione pushed her hair back and said, "Nothing important."

"Then you can talk to me about it!" cried Ron happily.

"I changed my mind," she said. "It's extremely important."

"Then you can trust me." He just had this _all_ figured out, didn't he?

Hermione gave up and sighed. "He said something completely mad!"

"Go on," he prodded. "I'm _completely_ interested."

"Be serious!" she cried. He laughed. "He said I was in love with Fred."

Hermione watched carefully for Ron's reaction. Was he going to explode? She really didn't want to bother cleaning a mess like that up. Maybe Ron was going to laugh at her! She didn't really expect discouragement, but Ron wasn't exactly known for being sensitive; but then again, most boys aren't very sensitive. Was he going to scream? She wasn't in the mood to go deaf! Her mind was racing with thoughts that were not very Hermione-like, especially since they involved a certain twin whose name rhymed with his hair color! **And no, **they were not dirty in any way! They were clean and pure and involved Fred in clothes. Except for certain times when Fred walked around the Burrow in the heat of the summer without a shirt on. Oh, his torso was just so enticing!

Sometimes she couldn't get the mental image out of her head. She wondered what would happen if…

She shook her head. _You're too mature for that, Hermione!_ She reprimanded herself. _Or not quite mature enough…_

Shockingly, all Ron did was nod. He didn't widen his eyes, he didn't drop his jaw; he didn't even laugh! The corners of his mouth twitched and he nodded. It was _Hermione_ who was shocked. "What the hell, Ron?" she cried. "You're not… angry? You're not going to yell? You're not going to explode?!"

He chuckled and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "You and Harry take me for granted. Have you ever thought that I just _pretended_ to be dense to fool everyone?"

She raised both eye brows. "No, because it's just not possible."

His smile dropped. "Be that as it may, I'm not as dense as everyone thinks I am." Hermione opened her mouth to correct him but he beat her to the punch. "I didn't deny being dense; I'm merely stating that I'm less dense than you give me credit for. _The point is_ that I knew you were in love with him, Harry knows you're in love with him, George knows you're in love with him, and the only people who don't know you're in love with Fred are you and Fred."

"I am **not** in love with Fred!" she yelled. The whole room turned to her; in response, she scooted back into the couch cushions, hoping to be absorbed out of sight. Neville spoke.

"Da Nile is only a river in Africa, Hermione!" The rest of the people in the common room nodded their head and cried their agreements.

Hermione groaned. "You _all_ think I'm in love with Fred?"

At that moment, a redheaded twin came down the stairs from the dormitory and stopped in his tracks. Everyone stopped what they were doing and waited. They all wondered the same thing; _Which twin was he? _Hermione sighed in relief; she recognized which twin he was. The redhead laughed. "You're using the wrong word, bookworm; we don't _think_ you're in love with him. We _know_ you are."

"Charming, George," Hermione cried. He walked over and sat himself down on the cushions on her vacant side.

"It's about time you realized the obvious, Granger!" he said, placing his feet on the arm of the sofa and his head in her lap. "I always knew you'd fall for one of us! It's a shame it wasn't me, though. I would have made a better boyfriend _any_ day. All's fair in love and war! I have a beauty in mind and she's interested!"

"Well, isn't that a first," mumbled Hermione. George laughed.

"What was that?" he inquired.

"I said… well isn't that nice!" she covered quickly. "I'm very happy for you. But I am not in love with Fred."

"There's that thing people say," George said looking into Hermione's eyes, "that the more someone denies something, the less likely it's true. And how many times have you said that you're not in love with Fred; about 10 in the last 5 minutes?"

"No I haven't!" she argued.

"Methinks _the lady doth protest too much." He reached up and pinched Hermione's cheeks. She slapped his hands away and laughed._

_"Whatever you say, ginger." She pushed his head gently off her lap and stood up. "I'm going to go—"_

_"To the library, yes, I know," he said pushing his hair out of his eyes. "You might find a nice surprise in there."_

They parted ways, which left Hermione with a lot to think about. She didn't really want to go to the library… the sun was still out! She decided to take the long way to the library. She supposed she needed the fresh air. It was a little windy, but the sun was out and there were few clouds in the sky. Hermione would have appreciated the nice day more than she had been but…

Was she in love with Fred Weasley?

Sure, she had a lot of fun with him even when he was annoying with all of his flirtatious attempts.

He was smart; someone had to have brains to come up with all of those products.

Fred was a good guy; his mother definitely taught him good morals even with all of his pranks.

She sighed. Okay, so maybe she liked Fred just a little. Hermione thought a little more…

He was funny; there was no doubt about that. He always had something clever to say.

Fred was charming; she couldn't deny that. The past few days proved that nicely. The past few _years_ showed his charm, actually.

And he was good looking; she definitely couldn't lie about that. Hello shirtless mental images.

He also made her smile every time he said hello to her. How did he gain that amazing power?

Her stomach wasn't the only thing that flip-flopped; every inch of her insides dances a magical tango!

Fine, she liked him a lot. She couldn't possibly be in love with him!

Finally, she removed herself from her thoughts; she felt a presence before her! Hermione had a feeling as to who it could be; there was really only one person who was surprising and predictable at the same time. She didn't even look beside her. "Hey, Fred."

"Afternoon, bookworm!" he grinned. "Why so serious?"

She scoffed. "Aren't I always?"

"You look much too…" Fred searched for a word, "contemplative today. Something must be up!"

"Am I not allowed to think anymore?" she asked.

"That's not what I said!" cried Fred. "Don't twist my words, honey."

"Well, _sweetie." _The sugary sweet tone to it made her sick, but Fred was making her feel better, even if he was making the situation a bit worse. "I'm just not exactly in a cheery mood. There's a lot on my mind."

"Bookworm, you can always come to dear-old-Fred! Now let's make conversation; we need to get your mind clear of evil thoughts!"

She couldn't think of a damn escape plan! "Uhh," she hesitated. "I don't think that's such a good idea…"

"Nonsense!" he wrapped an arm around her shoulder, coaxing her toward the open grass to talk. "All of my ideas are good ones."

"But Fred—"

"Fine!" he whined. "We don't have to talk about whatever you're thinking about, but I want to at least get your mind off of whatever's gotten you in such a tizzy."

"I'm not in a tizzy!" she gasped.

"Could've fooled me…" he whispered.

"Pardon?" Fred laughed at Hermione and her distracted state.

"Nothing! Take a seat here on the grass. Let's talk about… life! Good topic; broad and simple. What do you think of life?"

Confusion, hesitation, and relief filled Hermione. "Life's a beautiful thing, I think."

"Yes, beautiful. Many things are beautiful on this planet! This grass, the trees, just the great outdoors in general. Magic's a beauty! And it's a wondrous thing. Magic makes things happen, don't you agree?"

She sighed; did every topic she was involved with have to end up to Fred? "You can't even imagine how true I find that statement."

Hermione was seated right in front of Fred, cross legged and facing him. He was grinning like the fool he was and Hermione was smiling awkwardly; she couldn't shake her mind of the three conversations she had moments previous. And here she was, face to face with the very problem that caused the three conversations!

"Magic seems to be indefinable! It isn't just one definition; there are several! Magic's a literal thing here; we do very odd things with magic that muggles aren't fortunate enough to see."

Hermione grinned. "Magic can be the cheesy mind tricks and illusions muggles thing magic is." Fred laughed.

"Magic can be seen as nature; it's just wonderful to see all of the beautiful outdoors and forms of life." He pulled at the grass around him, enjoying the feel of the green strands of nature. "And there's one more interpretation of magic that I think is the most powerful. Do you know what it is?"

Blushing, Hermione shook her head. "Well, _I_ know. I can't believe _you_, the know-it-all, don't really know it all!"

She shoved Fred playfully. "Well then, enlighten me! What is the final form of magic of which you speak?"

Fred leaned forward and cupped Hermione's cheek with his surprisingly soft—and clean—hands. He leaned closer to her very slowly. Hermione, 'unconsciously,' but really _very_ knowingly and willingly, leaned forward slowly as well. She leaned her cheek into Fred's warm hand. She reached her own slight hand to touch his as assurance that he was real. They couldn't hear anything but the rustling of the leaves, the wind blowing softly around them, and they're own breath accelerating in the moment. Hermione's heart pounded in her chest, almost begging to be released from the bloody chamber. Her dancing insides wanted to break free of her inner dance floor and into the free world. Needles seemed to poke every inch of her body; it was not a bad feeling at all. Their lips were separated by a centimeter. Hermione was so ready. There was only that small amount of space left—

And Fred pulled away and pulled her hand to his chest. She felt the fast-paced rhythm of his heartbeat.

"_That_ is the final and my favorite form of magic." Hermione's ears were ringing as she tried to calm her entire body down to normality, and back down to Earth. Hermione could feel her entire face glow red. Fred's face was tinted pink, but his ears felt no mercy; they matched his hair perfectly.

"Hermione!" someone called. They both turned and the moment was over, but would certainly linger in their memories.

He stood and pulled her to her feet. "Thanks for the wonderful talk, Hermione, but your friends need you." He retrieved his hand and stuffed them both in his pockets.

She walked over to Harry and Ron. Hermione was more than angry that they ruined the moment, but her happiness, confusion, and dizziness covered it up.

"So?!" Ron cried. God, he was such a girl! He loved gossip way too much. "Did you kiss?" She shook her head. "Maybe another time, then."

"What did you two talk about?"

Okay, fine; Hermione Granger was in love with Fred Weasley. Her unimaginably big face-splitting grin grew wider before she answered. "Magic."

"Well that's dumb…" mumbled Ron. "There are loads of things better you two could have talked about. Magic, of all things…"

Ron continued to mumble to himself, but Hermione wasn't paying attention; she was off in a daze. It was as if she were in a wonderful day dream that she didn't want to end. Harry, on the other hand, observed his two best friends with a smirk; they were both so obvious, especially Hermione.

Tomorrow would definitely bring a good day.

* * *

**This was my favorite part to write. **

**:)**


End file.
